


Feathers and Scales

by SimonBlackchill



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Space, Canon-Typical Violence, Dubious Astrophysics, Ficlet, M/M, Magic-Users, Mythology - Freeform, Other, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Space Battles, Starcaller AU, Technobabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-18 07:48:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11869821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimonBlackchill/pseuds/SimonBlackchill
Summary: Starcaller Zenyatta encounters a mythological firebird, the constellation of Aquila. His student and partner, the Dragon Genji, comes to his aid. A tiny fic (or ficlet) based on and inspired by ao3 usernekoromancer'sstarcaller AU! (Here's a Twitter moment of it with some cool art & other stuff.)





	Feathers and Scales

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nekoromancer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekoromancer/gifts).



Photons shot through him and he let them meet with his shadows of molecules. They barely cared about Zenyatta's presence, they would not harm him. Gamma rays were the only things even the star caller had to look out for, but the rest was but a minor inconvenience, or something to be ignored, or even something Zenyatta wished to encounter.

He folded the fabric and jumped through the hole in it, found himself around Sol once again. Hastily he smoothened the spacetime fold with a flick of a wrist again, made sure no one else came from Proxima Centauri with him. The holes he made were always sealed shut, but there were times when he'd forgotten to seal a hole big enough only for one or two quarks. He patted the fabric of his pants and caressed it briefly with the backs of his fingers, leaving behind some photons that had seated themselves upon him with no other intent than to travel for fun. Here and there they went, sometimes Zenyatta followed them, sometimes he let them go on their own.

He found a quark from the folds of his blue pants. A quiet "oh no" echoed in his mind.

Space had no sound, but now a ripping sensation came through him, he sensed it with the parts of him tuned ot the electromagnetic waves of the universe. He turned around and saw a shining talon rip through the shut doorway. The ripple Zenyatta had left behind was vulnerable, and whatever had followed him knew where the starcaller had gone through. Zenyatta called for his nine orbs and faced the new hole, through which the blackness of space became a fiery inferno.

"Aquila," said Zenyatta, knowing that the creature would not answer. "Fiery bird of myth, carrier of the Dead Man."

He searched for all info he had of the creature while the massive talons set on two sides of the hole in spacetime started ripping it open. Each talon was three times as big as the full length of Zenyatta's torso. Zenyatta willed the hole to struggle against the fiery creature, the bird of prey that searched for anything that moved in the universe. Its tastes included especially metal, which was found only in the cores of planets, of stars, and on the few Omnic travelers it was to find.

It burst through the hole and Zenyatta finally sealed the hole from the distance, not willing to have any of Aquila's possible accomplices after him. With a movement of his orbs he shot himself to float backwards from the bird, unwilling to shoot first when it came to combat. The creature had a long neck, its feathers were forged from heavy metals and its talons were curled up, sharpened like razors, ready to sink into anything that even remotely resembled any of the heavy metals in its own body.

"Begone," Zenyatta muttered and avoided a breath of fire. The red hot plasma did not even char Zenyatta who had a protective layer over himself, protecting himself from heat and radiation. The attack emboldened him and he charged three of his Orbs of Destruction, pushed his hands forward and shot them to the direction of the bird. The blinding white against the comfortable darkness of space let out a scream, the massive wings spread as the orbs hit the beast straight in the eyes.

"How dare you disturb the peace of the universe," said Zenyatta and twirled the orbs that returned to him around his neck, counted them, charged them with more Omnic power he wielded. "It is not your position to threaten a peaceful wanderer such as I. What has agitated you so?"

The beast bird did not respond with anything but a massive surge of electromagnetic waves that radiated far and wide in the vast void. Zenyatta pumped up his systems to protect himself from overloading, he made more swift movements backwards, away from Aquila, but the bird would not give in. It opened its beak, revealed a terrifying white depth inside of it, ready to engulf anything in its path. It lifted its wings above its back, twirled around itself as if charging. Terror entered Zenyatta's mind, he placed his orbs in front of him in a circle and crossed his arms on top of his chest, curled his fingers, ready to strike the bird with all nine orbs if necessary. Aquila's sheer size made it impossible for Zenyatta to evade any incoming attack. He did not feel he was ready to transcend either, for his spiritual power had not reached its peak yet.

Aquila charged. Zenyatta zoomed in and aimed. The wings Aquila had folded upwards now were fully against its body as it glided right towards Zenyatta with the perfect trajectory. It opened its mouth, Zenyatta had never before in his long life seen anything as bright and blinding-

A comfortable darker red slashed through Zenyatta's field of vision, accompanied with stripes of red. A familiar presence settled itself in front of Zenyatta and deflected the physical attack of the bird, causing it to scream in the vacuum so loudly that Zenyatta felt its vibrations alone. The heat of the bird's flames and the shadow of the figure between Zenyatta and the bird engulfed Zenyatta and his systems took half a second to recover from the shock of attack, from the lack of impact.

A green serpent with long fangs and a dark passion in its eyes revealed its claws to the bird. And in a language only constellations spoke, a language Zenyatta understood, it said this:

"Soft, even if flaming, feathers will never beat the Dragon's scales. Begone, back to your place in the sky, for no iron of this area will ever satisfy you! The only metal you will get here will be the edge of my blade."

The figure of a man shone through the dragon's massive body. The man had loose and light trousers and he held a long, thin-bladed sword in his right hand, and his intensely glowing eyes looked at whatever the serpent Dragon did. The flaming bird twirled, spun in front of the dragon, tried its luck merely by existing. The dragon breathed out one green flame, which forced Aquila to finally reconsider its pride. And thus, the bird returned into the depths of space, hungry as ever, disappointed in the lack of prey.

The green serpent figure disappeared into the silhouette of a man who turned around to see Zenyatta in the face. Zenyatta fixed his hat on the top of his head and let out a giggle. The special connection between the star caller and the constellation made sure they could speak.

"I did not think the Eagle would be so hungry."

"You knew where it roams," said the Dragon and placed his long blade into its hilt. Zenyatta made his orbs spin around his neck again, settled them comfortably in place. He shook his head at the Dragon, his voice had a smiling tone.

"I did not think it would attack me."

"Master, I thought you were smarter than that."

"Don't test your luck, Genji."

Genji laughed and threw a strand of hair from his forehead with a sharp head movement. Zenyatta reached to slide it behind one of his horns, saw a smile from behind the black fabric that hid Genji's mouth.

"I never rely on luck," Genji said. "You're thankful to me, so I can lecture you at least a little bit."

Zenyatta scratched the back of Genji's head.

"I am always grateful of you."

**Author's Note:**

> \- I utilised some Finnish mythology in this fic. I just love the mythical firebird _kokko_ of Kalevala so much.  
>  \- This was so much fun to write. Thank you so much nekoromancer for letting me write about this cool AU !!


End file.
